Occasionally Life Attacks You

... and currently, I'm under seige.

I have so much stuff to update you guys on. I haven't been blogging (again). It's partly my $%#$$@^ horrible carpal tunnel, which is now in BOTH wrists, and partly ... well ... other stuff. Namely, I've gained weight and it bums me out alot. I'm exactly back to where I was pre-wedding. I am working on it, though, and the only failure is not trying and even then, there's always the possibility of redemption.

Pre-Wedding Weight

Bachelorette Party Wt.

Obviously, I know it could be worse...

Been there, done that.

Still, it's crazy how we can fall back into old habits. It's like putting on an old, comfy shirt. Fits like a damned glove. For me, these habits are pre-bariatric surgery in some ways and I'm five-years removed here. Food addiction is real, my friends. There is no cure, only remission. Relapse is part of recovery, or so they say. I have to believe that eventually I will come out of this battle, like I have so many times before. If I can lose 200 pounds, I can lose the 20 I regained and the 10 I still needed to lose. Seriously, what is 30 pounds in the face of 200, right?!?

Anywho, here are some snippets from my trip to Disney's California Adventure theme park on my birthday (June 2). Anyone want to guess how old I am? Go for it. (If you already know, don't guess. That's no fair.)

Some pics are blurry. I borrowed from JGago's bloggie blog. She also has a cute post about our trip to Santa Monica, which you should totally check out because the pics are much better than mine were!

Oh! And, last night, I made a yummy "Chinese" dish. I put it in quotations because I seriously doubt the authenticity here. :p

Soy-Pineapple Chicken with Orange Peppers and Fried Brown Rice.

I wasn't overly impressed with this TJ's fried brown rice, by the way.

And, finally, while I've been away, I taste-tested Yves Meatless Hotdogs.

Ryan cooking them (just because it's adorable):

Husband Rating: A++

Hotdog Rating: C+

Meh. They're okay. I much prefer Morningstar's Veggie Dogs.

Tonight, Ryan and I are going to the San Diego Wine, Cheese, and Chocolate Festival. It's usually $30/person (it's sold out, localites - sorry), but we're getting in free on a press pass (thanks JGago!). It pays to be a food blogger. :)

Be sure to check back this weekend for that post. San Diego has some AMAZING foodie stuffs, to be sure. xoxo

Weight Loss Surgery: Do you know?

Hi folks... Something a little more serious today. There are a lot of misconceptions about weight loss surgery out there. As you might imagine, I'm pretty passionate about the issue of obesity as an epidemic in this country. Weight loss surgery saved my life. I am so grateful for the people who made this life possible that I have promised myself to be honest and open about who I am and where I've been. I am a success story, and I know I have been and maybe still am an inspiration to people looking to turn their lives around health-wise. Along with that, I have come to feel its my responsibility to raise awareness about what weight loss surgery is, what its not and who we bariatric people really are.

Things You Probably Don’t Know about Weight Loss Surgery

• I did this on my own. I really did, but I bet you’ve read this on somebody’s non-bariatric blog. Why do they say it? Because they want to draw a line in the sand between themselves and those people who took the “easy way out.” Ah, yes, the easy way. When I was working out for 2 or 3 hours a day losing my weight, and today, as I workout each and every day of my life, I tell myself, wow… I’m SO GLAD I took the easy way out. Please. If you have lost 100 pounds, 200 pounds, even 50 pounds, you used a tool to do it. Maybe it was a body bug, maybe it was your spouse’s love and support, maybe it was SparkPeople, a gym membership… or blogging, but I promise you, you looked around and you utilized every tool you felt was available to you to get healthy and stay there. So did I.
  
  
• Weight loss surgery is not a magic pill. DUH! If this was a magic pill, why would the statistics show that the average bariatric patient gains back some (or in way too many cases, ALL) of their weight. So, if it was magic, how do you explain this? Did the magic wear off? Did they get re-inserted into the Matrix? What happened?!? What happened is that is was never a magic pill. It was a tool to use and nothing more.
  
  
• I can eat anything I want. No, I’m not restricted, not even one little bit. Our bodies are amazing machines that will adapt and survive in some of the most drastic circumstances. And, weight loss surgery is very drastic. The fact is that many of us bari-babes can eventually eat whatever, and that means we are forced to use that ever-elusive “will power” beast to maintain. And, for many of us, this is a battle we will fight for all of our lives. Just like you.
  
  
• All weight loss surgeries are not created equal. I had a surgery called Roux-n-y, in which doctors created a new stomach pouch from my existing stomach and re-routed my intestinal tract. At the time, together with my doctors and my then-husband, we decided this was the most effective surgery, as I had a bmi of nearly 60 and was considered super morbidly obese. Other, less invasive surgeries, tend to also be less effective for those needing to lose weight in excess of 200 pounds.
  
  
• Weight loss surgery doesn’t ruin marriages. This is a really common misconception (and major fear among those facing surgery). Yes, my marriage ended after my weight loss surgery. Yes, I believe I would probably still be married to my first husband had I never lost 200 pounds. The real issue runs deeper. I have an eating disorder. I did then, I do now. Combine that with the fact that food is already my most natural coping mechanism and you get a woman who eats until she feels nothing inside. In the first year of my post-surgery life, I began to re-teach myself how to live, without food as a crutch. When I did that, I was forced to see my life for what it was. When I did, I had to make a choice for myself. And, I did.
  
  
• We are healthy. It’s a myth that we will be malnourished or low on vital nutrients our whole lives. If you work this tool and use it as a springboard to incorporate good, healthy habits into your life, you will be fine. The last two years of my blood work have all come out 100% normal. The only thing I’ve ever been low on was B12, and that’s because I have chosen to eliminate red meat from my diet. No one recommended this. This isn’t part of the weight loss surgery rule book. It was simply a choice I made when I had the surgery, and I’ve been doing it ever since.
  
  
• We are people. I know that sounds silly to say, but I bet you have no idea that some of the bloggers you read have had weight loss surgery. Since I’ve been blogging, I’ve had several emails from other bariatric individuals, who blog but don’t reveal “what they really are.” Do you know why? The media and the public have put a very hurtful face on the average bariatric person. We are lazy, unable to do for ourselves, so we turn to magic fixes to find a way out of a food hell we’ve supposedly brought on ourselves. It’s simply not true. We are people, who by circumstance of genetics, society, or health have found ourselves in one of the most scary, lonely places to be: a prisoner of your own body. We are people who have endured ridicule and shame for years and emerged to face the terror and hardship of a surgery people label as easy. It’s a crying shame, if you ask me, because we are not only people, but very brave people.

Before I move on to breakfast, I want to say that weight loss is very hard. I don't have the answer as to why. All I know is that food has been both my greatest love and enemy number 1 since I was practically a baby. We all have our battles, and weight loss is a common one to many of us. We are all the same, no matter the tools we use. And, I believe that we would each go further on our invidual paths if we recognized that we all have a part to play in each other's successes. Each kind word of encouragement, every Operation Beautiful note, every friendly "I get ya" comment adds another stepping stone along our own path. Understanding and compassion for other people's battles is both beginning and end to a weight loss journey.

=========== Ok, FOOD!

Remember this?

For breakfast this morning, I yet again had this yummalicious cereal and yet again felt sick after eating it. Obviously, I cannot eat this cereal in the morning. It's very tasty, but it gives me a major stomach ache, so NO MORE. NEVA!

Lunch is going to be yummy. Ever since I made broccoli and rice last night, I've known I'm going to make a delicious wrap for today's lunch. So, stay tuned!!!

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I'm very interested in your comments and questions. Please know that I will be happy to answer any question you might have regarding Weight Loss Surgery, my weight loss journey or just stuff about my life. (Keep in mind, I'm not a doctor, but a patient.)

If you don't want to comment below, please feel free to email me. eatmovewriteATyahoo.com.

=========

xoxo
-Mrs. Myers

P.S. I have NO idea why the font in this post is crazy. Can't fix it. Oh wells.

Flavor of the Week: Strawberries

Hello Beautifuls,

I'm feeling very inspired today. I wonder if you all realize how much your blogs motivate me. It's a constant source of joy to see other people who do what I do and succeed at it each and every day. It's positivity breeding positivity breeding positivity. Today I was lucky to get to talk to a couple different people about weight loss and it always touches my heart that I can do even the smallest thing to help them on their journeys. I'm often approached about my story. I've had emails from desperate, anguished people, in some cases heavier than I ever was. And, it's a humbling, honest experience to remember I was once that person. I get questions about my food intake, my exercise regimen, loose skin from large weight loss, etc. People are always so surprised at how willing I am to share, which in turn surprises me. To me, it's simply "paying it forward." I am so grateful, so grateful.

January 2005


June 2009

Losing 200 pounds was the culmination of so many things and people in my life. There were the doctors, nurses and nutritionists, who encouraged me and reminded me gently (and sometimes not so gently) that weight loss surgery is a tool, and nothing more. And, a tool is only useful when you use it. There were those who stood by me in the worst of my rages against my eating demons, my lifelong disease. There were those who literally helped me re-learn how to eat, how to walk, how to live life in a way I'd never had the opportunity to live it. There are those today who motivate me, encourage me, remind me that who I was and who I am are two interdependent beasts that I must constantly reconcile in order to become who I want to be. Again, grateful doesn't cut it and words can barely say it, but I'm a writer, so I try (and that, my bloggy friends is where "the book" comes in).

I won't carry on any further, because, really, you're here to read about my food, but I'll say again, thank you for being my daily motivators by simply sharing of yourselves for all of us to read. It's a beautiful thing. :)

So, as you know, today was a busy day for me. I worked at the office until about noon. I came home and made a delish spinach-feta scrambled egg lunch with a side of maters and hummus toast. It was eggcellent if I do say so myself. ;)

When I went grocery shopping this time, I was shopping the sales. I ended up with this cute little loaf of miniature bread (very small pieces). It's really very tasty. I love that each slice is 50 calories and 5 grams of fiber. Perfect for a small snack.

After lunch, I had a boatload of work to do. I knocked it out and went straight through to about 3:30, when I realized I'd better have a snack before class. I wasn't that hungry, so I had a kashi bar. I love the pumpkin flax! Yum-o!

Class was good. I figured out how to turn the bikes up to a higher resistance last week and now I work up a pretty good sweat. Fun stuff. When I got home, I got straight to work on dinner. Hubby was starving after the gym, and I was ready to make a yummy dish with the flavor of the week. Yes, that's right. I'm like Souplantation, and this week is Strawberry Week.

On tonight's menu... Strawberry Fish Tacos

Holy Strawberry Poptarts, these were good! I used tilapia for the fish, which I browned with olive oil and some random spices from my cabinet. I made a sort of relish out of fresh tomatoes, frozen corn, chopped spinach and broccoli slaw.

I piled everything on whole-wheat tortillas and topped with strawberries, a tad of greek yogurt and a bite of salsa. Awesome! This was the best meal I've made in a while (well, since Yam Pancakes, right?!).

I even made enough fish for hubby's lunch tomorrow. Yes, I pack his lunch every day (I love doing that kind of stuff.) Am I a good wifey or what?! :p

Right now, the hubby is watching a Spanish horror film (with subtitles). Actually looks interesting, so I may go watch it (or should I say read it?). he he...

Much love to you all. See ya tomorrow.

xoxo
-j